This invention relates to an information processing method and apparatus, a recording medium, and a program, and more particularly to an information processing method and apparatus, a recording medium, and a program that the communication balance between a plurality of nodes can be controlled optimally based on connection priority degrees calculated from positions, directions, and directionalities between the nodes in communication.
Various methods are known that a plurality of users communicate with each other, and one of such methods uses a virtual spade. According to the method, a user can access a server through a network and use a common virtual space provided by the server to communicate with other users on the real-time basis. In the virtual space, the user sets the other self thereof called avatar such that such users chat with each other through the respective avatars.
For example, Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2001-160154 discloses a display apparatus which displays avatars where a plurality of users share a virtual space such that, when one of the users moves, a corresponding avatar moves in response to position information, direction information, and so forth of the user. Meanwhile, Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2001-154966 discloses a system in which an avatar in a virtual space uses a virtual portable telephone set to transmit or receive a message to or from another avatar who is in an another virtual space or another user who is in an actual space.
Incidentally, not only a communication system in related art that such a virtual space as described above is used to perform communication with a plurality of nodes but also another communication system in related art that an actual space is used for communication with a plurality of nodes have a problem in that, as the number of nodes used for communication increases, simultaneous establishment of circuits between a plurality of nodes becomes difficult from a limitation to communication channels.
As a countermeasure for the problem, methods are available that the communication balance is controlled by limiting those nodes from which information can be transmitted within a certain time zone through the same communication network. As one of such methods, for example, a PTT (Push to Talk) controlling method for controlling communication with a plurality of transceiver terminals is available.
Also another method is available that circuits between a plurality of nodes are established simultaneously like sound chat software by which a VoIP (Voice over IP) function or the like is used to perform communication with a plurality of persons through a network.
However, the former method has a subject to be solved in that it is difficult to originate information to a plurality of nodes at a time because a fault occurs if a plurality of nodes transmit information within the same time.
Meanwhile, the latter method has a subject in that, as the number of nodes increases, sound information of such nodes becomes liable to interfere with each other, which makes optimum communication difficult. It is to be noted that, even if such interference can be eliminated by adjusting the sound balance between the node circuits or the like, complicated operation is required in order to adjust the sound balance in response to a situation of communication which varies every moment. Therefore, the latter method has another subject in that such adjustment of the sound balance is difficult.
Such problems as described above occur not only with communication between such a plurality of nodes owned by a user as described above but also with communication between a remote controller terminal of the user and controlled apparatus such as, for example, a television receiver, a stereo apparatus, an illumination apparatus, an automatic door, and an air conditioner in a home.
In particular, it is difficult to achieve origination of a plurality of control signals for controlling a plurality of controlled apparatus simultaneously from a single remote control terminal. Even if a plurality of control signals are originated, it is difficult to change the ratio of control and besides it is not clear which apparatus receive the control signals. Further, even if it is tried to control a single controlled apparatus at a time using a plurality of remote controller terminals conversely, the controlled apparatus accepts only one of the control signals and besides it is not known to the user which one of the control signals is accepted by the controlled apparatus. Therefore, such systems as just described are difficult to handle and cannot be implemented readily.
From the foregoing, there is a subject that it is difficult to implement communication between a plurality of remote controller terminals and a plurality of controlled apparatus. This gives rise to another subject that the user must properly use a plurality of remote controller terminals for a plurality of respective controlled apparatus and operate the remote controller terminals separately for the individual controlled apparatus.
It is desirable to provide an information processing method and apparatus, a recording medium and a program in which a plurality of circuits can be established at a time among a plurality of nodes and the communication balance between the nodes can be controlled optimally by simple and natural operation.